With seven games gone in the season the Premier League is really hotting up. Southampton sit in second despite losing the bulk of their first XI and travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. At the same time the two unbeaten teams in the top division go head to head as Chelsea host Arsenal in what is likely to be a tricky game.
There are also big games for both Merseyside clubs which we will also preview, with Everton’s trip to Old Trafford another of the weekend’s highlights. We hope to give you hints and betting tips that will help you win some money in the first round of games in October, setting you up nicely for the month of gambling ahead!
Saturday 4th October 2014
Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion (15:00) – Daniel Sturridge to score first (7/2 with Coral)
West Brom sit four places above Liverpool after thrashing Burnley 4-0 last time out. Just one point separates these sides and Alan Irvine will hope to cause an upset in this game against a struggling Premier League side who went the whole of September without a Premier League win. The Reds also come into this one on the back of a midweek Champions League game which is sure to test the depth of their squad. A shock away win is 9/2 with Totesport whilst a draw, which would also be a good result for the Baggies is 15/2 (again with Totesport).
Despite their problems, however, we expect a home win in this game as Liverpool will welcome back Daniel Sturridge to the side. He has been sorely missed in recent weeks and is our favourite to break the deadlock at 7/2 with Coral. We also recommend you back a home win at 2/5 with Coral odds which, whilst short, still represent solid value and would make a nice addition to any acca.
Aston Villa v Manchester City (17:30) – Both Teams To Score (3/4 with Ladbrokes)
Edin Dzeko finally got off the mark for the season in Manchester City’s 4-2 win over a resilient Hull City side and he and his City team mates will be hoping for another positive result as they travel to Villa Park. Paul Lambert’s side will potentially see Eliaquim Mangala as a target after he scored an own goal and conceded a penalty in last Saturday’s six-goal thriller. We foresee another win here though for the Manchester side, best priced at 8/15 with Totesport. A first Villa win since the 13th of September is a generous 7/1 with BetVictor whilst a draw is 31/10.
This game completes a run of four fixtures for Villa against last season’s top four, the toughest four fixtures Lambert and his side could have asked for. They also come up against yet another world class striker in Sergio Aguero. He scored first in his last league game and is 10/3 with Coral to do it again. Another tip for this fixture is over 2.5 goals. Half of City’s Premier League games have seen three or more goals whilst the last two games for Villa have also ended with over 2.5. The best odds available for this are 31/40 with BetVictor which is our main betting tip for this one.
Sunday 5th October 2014
Manchester United v Everton (12:00) – Radamel Falcao to score first (4/1 with Coral)
Louis Van Gaal will be looking for his first consecutive wins – pre-season friendlies aside – as Manchester United boss in a game against a side that did the double over United last year. However, the visitors are struggling this season with seven points from their first six games. They will be buoyant though after rescuing a point in last weekend’s Merseyside and are 9/2 to win this game with Bet365. 3/1 (BetVictor) are the best odds available for this game to finish all square whilst a home win is 4/5 with Sky Bet.
This game is also the first of three that ex-Everton striker Wayne Rooney will miss due to his red card in the 2-1 victory over West Ham United. This should be no real issue for the Red Devils though as they have Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie in “reserve” and they will likely start up top together in Sunday’s early kick off. It is hard to choose which one will score first and this is reflected in the bookmakers’ odds – Coral are offering 4/1 for Falcao whilst RVP is 4/1 with Ladbrokes. Our tip is that one of these will open the scoring with our opinion leaning slightly towards Falcao who will look to score his first goal in United’s red.
Chelsea v Arsenal (14:05) – Chelsea to win and both teams to score (5/2 with Coral)
This will be the 12th meeting between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger with the Frenchman still looking for his first win over “The Special One”. Wenger will have to do this without the help of many first team players with Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Debuchy, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott all definitely out. He also comes up against the hottest striker in the league in the muscular form of Diego Costa. The Spanish-born forward, who represents Brazil’s national side, has eight goals in six league games and is favourite to open the scoring at 7/2 with Ladbrokes.
We expect the result of this match to be a win for the Blues, that option priced at 7/10 with Ladbrokes. Our main tip though is for a home win with both teams to score as this has better odds and although Chelsea look formidable going forward they have kept just two clean sheets this season. Arsenal also look full of goals. Alexis Sanchez is getting better and better each game whilst Danny Welbeck has joined the club with a point to prove and has made a solid start in north London. Other match result odds are 14/5 with BetVictor for a draw and for Wenger to get that elusive first win over his rival Mourinho Bet365 will give you odds of 19/4.